Observations
by AnHonoraryWeasley
Summary: Ron and Hermione managed to make quite a few impressions on different people throughout the course of their lives.
1. Neville: Introductions

Chapter 1

Neville Longbottom was pretty sure he was going to throw up. He never thought this day would come. He never thought he'd be boarding the Hogwarts Express at Platform 9 ¾, and neither had most of his family. A small part of him was excited, but mostly he just felt sad that his parents weren't there and anxious that he'd fail at everything miserably.

He looked up and down the hallways, trying to find an empty compartment in the midst of hundreds of people much taller than him. Finally, he reached a compartment that only had one girl in it who looked about his age. Mustering up all his courage, he opened the door.

"C-can I-I sit here?" Neville asked, feeling his face flush.

The girl looked up at him and smiled. She had big front teeth and lots of brown hair, but her face was kind of pretty and her smile was nice.

"Sure!" she said brightly. "I'm Hermione Granger! My parents are Muggles and I'm so excited to be going to Hogwarts! Are your parents Muggles or are the wizards? I've memorized all our books and everything is just fascinating! I think Transfiguration and Charms seem wonderful and I can't wait for the next lesson. What are you looking forward to?"

Neville stood at her, too in shock to speak. Had she _really_ memorized all the books? Gran and all the rest of his relatives didn't mention anything about memorizing the books, so he shouldn't have. Right?

"Uh—"

"Silly me! I'm sorry; I tend to ramble when I'm excited and I forgot to ask your name. What's your name?"

"I'm Neville. Neville Longbottom."

She smiled at him again and for a second he thought she would make fun of his name, like most new people he met.

"It's nice to meet you, Neville," she said kindly and Neville decided he rather liked Hermione Granger.

A few other first years came in. Their names were Susan Bones, Dean Thomas, and Terry Boot. They talked for a while but when Neville reached for his bag, he realized something. Trevor was gone. Instantly, he felt his eyes fill with tears. His mum loved frogs, so he got Trevor so he'd have a reminder of his mum while at school. And he'd already lost it.

"Is something wrong, Neville?" Hermione asked, looking concerned.

"M-my toad's gone," he answered with a shaky voice.

"Then we'll go look for him," she announced in a bossy voice, standing up. "Come on then. We'll go around and ask people if they've seen your toad. Bye Dean, Terry, Susan! It was nice to meet you!"

For the next twenty minutes, they looked up and down the train for Neville. Hermione was kind and confident and ridiculously smart. Neville hoped they would end up in the same House so that he'd have at least one friend at Hogwarts. Maybe then it wouldn't be too bad.

**Authors Note: I promise they'll get longer as it gets going. I aim to cover most of their lives, so it'll be a long one. Stick with it if you want to!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any Harry Potter related and I am definitely not J.K. Rowling (no matter how much I wish I were).**


	2. Parvati: Halloween

Chapter 2

Parvati Patil sort of felt bad for Hermione. Not only were her hair and buckteeth completely _awful_, but no one seemed to like her either. Parvati wasn't sure why. Sure, Hermione could be bossy and was a complete know-it-all, but she was also extremely kind and compassionate.

But Lavender didn't like Hermione, so Parvati rarely spoke to her unless they were in the dormitory at the same time.

Parvati was sitting in Charms, attempting to levitate a feather with her partner Dean Thomas. Neither of them could do it, but at least they hadn't set theirs on fire, like Seamus had. Parvati was amused to see Ron and Hermione paired up in front of her. It was obvious to everyone that they didn't like each other and they argued throughout the whole lesson.

On the way out of the classroom, Parvati was walking near Hermione, who was right behind Ron and Harry.

"It's no wonder no one can stand her," Ron said loudly, trying to talk to Harry over the crowd of people around them. "She's a nightmare, honestly."

Parvati turned to see Hermione's eyes fill with tears before she ran off, running into Harry before speeding away. Without thinking, Parvati followed her to the girl's bathroom. She walked in and heard Hermione sobbing in one of the stalls.

Hesitantly, she walked over to the stall and knocked slightly.

"Go away," Hermione said, sniffling.

"H-Hermione. It's Parvati. Are you okay?"

"Why do you care?" Hermione asked, taking a few heaving breaths. "It's not like we're friends or anything. I know you don't like me, so you can stop pretending."

The words stung and she didn't know how to respond. They weren't friends, that much were true, but Parvati wanted to be and she wasn't pretending to care either. No one should feel like an outcast.

"Well, you're going to miss dinner," Parvati replied lamely.

"I don't care," Hermione said sniffling. "I'm not hungry."

Unsure of what to do, Parvati walked out of the bathroom. She felt terrible for leaving Hermione there to cry alone, but what else could she have done?

At the Great Hall, She spotted Lavender and sat down next to her.

"Hey Parvati," Lavender said. "Where were you?"

Parvati hesitated. Lavender was a huge gossip and if she found out about Hermione crying in the bathroom, it would be the talk of the school, but she hadn't prepared a lie.

"I was with Hermione. Ron said some mean stuff about her that she overheard and is crying in the bathroom right now."

Parvati looked up to see Harry and Ron looking at her. Harry looked surprised and Ron looked rather uncomfortable. Parvati blushed deeply; she hadn't meant for them to overhear, since they'd probably make fun of Hermione even more for it.

That night, Hermione came in late and looked completely exhausted. Parvati had never felt so guilty in her entire life.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Hermione was gone by the time Parvati woke up. She dressed quickly and went looking for Hermione to apologize for leaving her in the bathroom. However when she reached the Great Hall, she stopped in her tracks.<p>

Hermione was sitting with Harry and Ron. Not only was she sitting with them, but they were talking and laughing together and looked like the best of friends.

Parvati wasn't sure what had changed, but she really hoped that the boys would be good friends for Hermione. Merlin knew she hadn't.


	3. Dean: A Flying Car

Chapter 3

Dean Thomas watched Hermione throughout the whole train ride. She looked angry and like she would break down crying at any second. He was sure Seamus and Neville didn't notice, as they were busy talking about Quidditch, so he decided to ask.

"Hermione," he started cautiously. "Where are Harry and Ron?"

"How should I know?" she hissed, her bottom lip starting to wobble slightly. "I can't find them anywhere on this stupid train and no one has seen them. I have no clue where they are or if they even boarded at Platform 9 and ¾! When I get my hands on them, they're going to wish they had never been born! What are they doing? Trying to worry me to death? Idiots!"  
>By the end of this rant, Hermione was practically screaming and dangerously close to tears. Seamus and Neville stared openmouthed at Hermione while Dean shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He really hadn't anticipated that she'd go off like that.<p>

"W-well, I-I'm sure they're okay, Hermione," Neville said after a few moments of shocked silence. "They're probably somewhere on the train."

"Yeah," Seamus echoed, looking slightly ill at the sight of Hermione's hysterics. "I reckon they're fine."

Hermione's breathing evened out slightly and she let out a long, shaky sigh. "Yeah…you're probably right."

Seamus and Neville started talking again, eager to avoid any more emotional outbursts from Hermione. Dean, however, started to worry himself. Knowing Hermione, she probably scoured every inch of the train for Harry and Ron; they were best friends and Dean was pretty sure he'd seen them together in King's Cross Station, so where else could they be?

"Hermione," he said softly after a couple of minutes. "They'll be fine."

Her eyes filled with tears again and she give him a small smile. "I hope so," she whispered back. "In the meantime, I'm going to go find Fred and George again. See you later."

She said goodbye to Seamus and Neville (who both looked slightly relieved) and grabbed her bag before heading out. Dean watched her go with a growing sense of dread coming over him. Merlin, he hoped for her sake that they were okay. If this was how much she worried after not seeing them for an hour, he'd hate to see how hard she'd take it if something worse were to happen.

Dean looked for Hermione at the feast, hoping to see Harry and Ron sitting with her. But she was sitting alone and chewing on her bottom lip, looking around desperately every few seconds. She didn't pay attention to the Sorting at all, except for when Ron's little sister was sorted. Ginny walked over and sat with Hermione, who looked like she was about to have a coronary.

"Harry and Ron still aren't here," Dean said to Seamus and Neville.

They both looked at him with surprise.

"Seriously?" Seamus asked with his eyebrows raised. "I just thought Hermione was going a little barmy on the train, but…"

The rest of the feast passed by too quickly and the next thing Dean knew, they were headed up to the common room. People all around him were whispering excitedly.

"Did you hear?" Lavender asked, running up to him and Seamus.

"Hear what?" Dean asked, frowning.

"Harry and Ron are being expelled! They flew from King's Cross in a flying car and they hit some tree and now they're being expelled!" she said, looking almost excited.

"What?"

Dean, Seamus, and Lavender all turned to see Hermione standing behind them, a look of absolute shock on her face. Lavender walked over, looking thrilled that she had heard this tidbit of gossip before Hermione had.

"Harry and Ron flew in on a flying car!" Lavender said again. "And I heard that they're getting expelled! A flying car! Seems like a strange thing to have. I can't quite figure how they would've gotten one."

"I can," Hermione said, looking ill. "Excuse me."

With that, she ran off in the other direction.

"What's wrong with her?" Lavender asked snidely.

_You just told her that her friends are being expelled, you idiot_. _How did you expect her to react?_

Instead of snapping at her, Dean turned and entered the common room, leaving Lavender to prance off to find Parvati somewhere. The common room was completely packed and everyone was buzzing about Harry, Ron, the Whomping Willow, and a flying car. Seamus looked ecstatic and went to go talk to some of the other boys.

The portrait door opened and Harry and Ron walked in with Hermione right on their tails. The whole common room burst into cheers and applause and Harry and Ron both turned red, but grinned widely. Dean glanced at Hermione, expecting to see her beaming next to her friends, but saw her pushed off to the side by the crowd with a frown on her face.

"Got to get upstairs—bit tired," Ron said, turning to go up to the dormitory without a second glance.

"Night," Harry called over his shoulder to Hermione.

Dean started to follow Seamus and Neville up the stairs but looked back to glance at Hermione. Her eyes filled with tears and she ran up to her dormitory. Dean felt slightly angry at Harry and Ron for not caring that they scared Hermione out of her wits, but pushed the feeling away; he had to hear more details about this bloody flying car.


	4. Poppy Pomfrey: The Hospital Wing

Chapter 4

Poppy Pomfrey had heard many things about Hermione Granger from her colleagues.

All of her professors sung her praises. Filius said once he thought Miss Granger was more capable than some of his sixth year students. Minerva, who was usually never showed favortisim, claimed that Miss Granger was one of the best students she had ever taught. Even Severus grudgingly admitted that Miss Granger was easily the brightest in her year. Every one of her professors remarked on how brilliant, kind, and helpful the girl was and commented that they hadn't seen friends as close as Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, and Ron Weasley since the Maruaders.

So when Poppy first saw Hermione Granger with a tail, cat ears and eyes, and fur on her face, it came as a bit of a shock.

"Oh goodness," Poppy said upon the arrival of Hermione and her two best friends. "Sit down on this bed and tell me what happened, dear."

"I-I was experimenting with human transfiguration," Hermione sniffled, her eyes full of tears. "I knew it was above my level, but….but I thought I could handle it. And now I'm part cat."

With that final statement, she burst into tears. The two boys looked slightly terrified, but stood by her bed anyway. Ron even patted her gently and awkwardly on the shoulder as she cried hysterically. Poppy smiled a little bit at how adorable they were before doing some quick thinking.

"Boys, I'm going to have to ask you to leave now," Poppy said, smiling slightly at them. "You can come back and visit tomorrow though. Miss Granger, I'm sorry but you'll have to stay for a while."

The two boys made noises of protest, but Hermione merely nodded, wiping away at the tears of embarrassment to give her friends a weak smile.

"It's fine, guys. I'll see you later," Hermione told them. "I'll be fine."

"Okay, Hermione," Harry said, smiling. "See you tomorrow."

He turned to leave, but the redheaded boy stayed behind, staring at Hermione.

"You sure you'll be okay?" he asked softly.

Poppy didn't miss the blush on Hermione's face as she nodded and said goodbye. The boys walked out and Hermione looked up at Poppy with tearful eyes.

"W-will I go back to normal?" Hermione asked in a small voice.

"I'm sure you will," Poppy told her confidently. "It might take a while, but I'll figure it out. Don't you worry. Now, what spells were you experimenting with?"

"I don't remember," Hermione answered, looking down in shame. "I found this book and I did the first spell I flipped to, but it didn't work."

Poppy found this suspicious. For the brightest witch in second year, she should've known better than to attempt human transfiguration without studying the theory. And even if she had attempted the spell, it was likely that it wouldn't do anything since human transfiguration was so complex. However, Poppy remained silent; if Hermione wanted to tell her what had had happened, then she would, and until then, Poppy would just wait and try to get this girl looking more like a girl and less like a cat.

* * *

><p>Over the next few weeks, Hermione started to make some good progress; there was less fur on her face and the tail had been successfully removed. Throughout the whole thing, Hermione had been cheerful, if a little embarrassed.<p>

However, with the rampant rumor mill at Hogwarts, every single student was aware Hermione had been in the Hospital Wing for a while and desperately wanted to know why. Poppy placed some curtains around the bed and made Hermione write a list of names of people that were allowed to see her; everyone except Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Ginny Weasley had been banned from entering.

Hermione's friends visited every day without fail and brought her homework to her as well. From Poppy's experience, twelve-year-old boys were usually rather obnoxious, but these two were remarkably sweet to Hermione.

"What's that?" Poppy heard Harry asked, pointing at something on the bed.

"Just get well card," Hermione answered, her face turning bright red.

Poppy smirked, pausing over the medicine she had to give to Hermione to listen to Ron read it, horror lacing his tone

"_To Miss Granger, wishing you a speedy recovery, from your concerned teacher, Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of _Witch Weekly_'s Most-Charming-Smile Award."_

Poppy chuckled. Gilderoy Lockhart was extremely handsome but a complete airhead, but Poppy didn't blame Hermione for fancying him. After all, she was only a second year.

"You sleep with this under your pillow?" Ron asked, sounding furious.

Poppy smirked and took pity on the poor girl. She was sure that Ron fancied Hermione, even if neither of them realized it yet. Before Hermione could answer, Poppy walked over, handing Hermione the medicine.

"Sorry boys, but it's time for you to go," she said, still smirking slightly at how red Ron's face looked. "You can come visit Miss Granger tomorrow."

Harry nodded and walked away as Ron spluttered for a second, looking from the card in his hand to Hermione to the door and to the card again. After a moment, he said goodbye to Hermione, throwing the card on the nightstand next to her bed, and turned and walked out the door. Hermione watched him leave with a small smile on her face and Poppy had to keep herself from giggling. These kids could be so adorable!

* * *

><p>Poppy stared out the window as most of the school filed into the Quidditch stadium. She had never particularly cared for Quidditch, especially since starting her job at Hogwarts; a Quidditch match meant the kids got a little reckless and someone was hurt nearly every game.<p>

The doors burst open and Poppy jumped around, surprised at the sudden noise. Albus was walking in purposefully, followed by Minerva. Two figures floated behind them.

"Oh no!" Poppy gasped as she saw the two Petrified girls.

Albus nodded grimly. "We found these two outside the library. Penelope Clearwater and—"

"Hermione Granger," Poppy finished for him, trying to push away the feelings of terror and dread. "Put them on the beds next to Mr. Creevey."

Albus waved his wand and Hermione and Penelope fell softly on their beds. Minerva stared at the two girls sadly for a moment before sighing.

"I'll go down and cancel the match," Minerva said. "Albus…do you have any more ideas?"

"Many," Albus answered softly, also gazing at the girls sadly, "but until the Mandrakes are ready and we hear from the victims, I'm sorry to say I can't be sure about anything."

Minerva turned to leave, but Poppy stopped her.

"You should tell Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley," Poppy said. "They'll want to know."

Minerva nodded slightly. "Yes," she said with a tight voice. "I suppose you're right."

She left and Albus patted Poppy on the shoulder before also departing. It wasn't until then that Poppy shed a few tears, feeling sad and frightened and worried all at once. She hoped the Mandrake's were ready soon; those boys needed Hermione Granger.


	5. Fred: Coping Without Hermione

Chapter 5

Fred Weasley loved to make people laugh. If people were laughing, then everything was fine and it made Fred feel better. But the mood of the castle had darkened immensely and almost no one was laughing these days. Fred didn't know who the bloody Heir of Slytherin was, but if whoever was responsible wasn't found out soon, Fred was pretty sure he'd go insane.

Fred was working on homework with George and Lee in the common room, but he took a break to stare at the fire and think. He didn't think he'd ever felt this worried before and he hoped he never had reason to be again. Hermione, his brother's little know-it-all best friend, was laying Petrified in the Hospital Wing as he stared at the fire in the common room. Ginny was constantly about to burst into tears, Harry was quieter than usual, but Ron was taking it the hardest. Ron was barely eating, looking paler than normal, agitated all the time, and snapped at everyone for the littlest things. Fred had a soft spot for Hermione too, and knowing Hermione was Petrified really freaked him out.

Harry and Ron walked through the portrait hole then, distracting Fred from his thoughts.

"I'm going to bed," Harry told Ron sullenly, not noticing Fred, George, and Lee.

"Kay," Ron answered morosely. "I'll be up in a bit."

Ron walked over and flopped down in one of the chairs by the fire, which Fred noticed was Hermione's favorite chair.

"Why the long face, Ronnie?" George asked, cracking a smile.

George's smile fell off his face when he saw Ron's glare.

"My best friend's been Petrified and I'm not even allowed to see her and the Heir of Slytherin is somewhere out there and I don't know where he is and Harry's being all sullen and I actually want to do my homework!" Ron ranted, nearly yelling.

George and Lee looked at Fred with wide eyes and Fred was sure he had the same expression on his face. This wasn't like Ron at all; he must've been pretty messed up to go off like this. Fred waited for George to speak, since George was better at the comforting stuff than him.

"She'll be fine," George said, giving Ron a smile that turned out to be more like a grimace. "Sprout has those Mandrakes and eventually she and Pomfrey will make that stuff and Hermione will be up and rearing to go! It won't be much longer until she's back."

"Yeah," Lee added. "I heard Sprout talking the other day about how good the Mandrakes look. It'll be fine."

Ron didn't look particularly convinced and crossed his arms while looking into the fire. Fred exchanged a worried glance with George. Ron wasn't usually the pensive type either (that title went to Ginny and Percy).

"We miss her too, Ron," Fred said, hoping that it would help him. "There's no one else around to belittle us for not doing our homework. Besides Percy, but I like Hermione much more than him."

Ron smiled slightly as he looked at Fred. It wasn't a laugh, but Ron's small smile made Fred feel better too. Fred prayed to whatever was up there that Hermione woke up soon so Ron would be back to his normal, slightly annoying self. This moping, sad Ron was a poor replacement for the real thing.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry, this chapter was shorter than I expected; it wasn't flowing the way I wanted. Reviews are welcomed!<strong>


	6. Seamus: Hermione Cracks

Chapter 6

"NO!"

Seamus Finnigan jumped at the sudden noise and turned around to see Ron grabbing at his sheets.

"What the hell, mate?" Seamus asked, watching in complete shock as Ron took the sheets off his bed. "What happened?"

"Her bloody cat is what happened," Ron muttered angrily, dragging the sheets off his bed and out of the dormitory.

"What the bloody hell was that about?" Dean asked, sounding as shocked as Seamus was feeling.

"No idea," Seamus replied, having absolutely no clue what was going on. "Did he say something about a cat? There wasn't a cat in here."

Dean shrugged. "Dunno. Probably Hermione's cat, but I haven't seen that beast in a while."

Seamus grimaced. They'd find out soon enough; Harry, Ron, and Hermione were not the quietest people and if something was going on with them, the whole school would know about it in a matter of hours.

* * *

><p>Over the next few days, it was completely apparent what happened, though he and Dean went to Ron's little sister Ginny to get filled in on some of the more minor details. Hermione's cat ate Ron's rat and they were furious at each other for it.<p>

Seamus wasn't sure what the big deal was. All Ron ever did was complain about the bloody rat, so Seamus had no clue why Ron was so upset. And Hermione was being just as ridiculous. Of course her demon cat ate Ron's rat! That cat was evil and obviously a cat, and cats love to eat rats. There really wasn't any reason for Ron and Hermione to have such a big row.

It was ordinary for Ron and Hermione to bicker constantly about everything under the sun, but never had Seamus seen so many screaming matches between them. Hermione even yelled at Harry at one point, which Seamus was pretty sure had never happened before.

Before the fight, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been inseparable. After the fight, things were awkward for the Gryffindor house. Seamus learned early on not to mention Hermione in front of Ron and vice versa (after Ron went on for a ten minute rant about the rat incident when Seamus accidentally said Hermione's name).

After about a week into Ron and Hermione's fight, Seamus came across Hermione in the library. It wouldn't normally be an unusual sight, but she had so many books around her that the stacks were probably about the same height as her. Upon closer inspection, she looked especially pale and had dark circles under her eyes. A part of Seamus wanted to just walk by, grab his book, and head out of the library, but he decided against it. After all, it seemed she got the worst end of the deal. Ron still had him, Harry, Dean, Neville, and his siblings to hang out with and didn't let them hang out with Hermione, so she was left with no one.

"Hey Hermione," Seamus said, watching as she jumped at his voice.

"Hi Seamus," she said, placing a hand over her heart. "You gave me a bit of a fright."

"Sorry about that," Seamus said.

"It's fine," she said, smiling at him slightly. "I just really haven't heard anyone speak for a couple hours, so it just surprised me a bit."

Seamus frowned at this. She hadn't even _heard_ anyone talk for hour? And, now that he was thinking about it, he hadn't seen her at dinner. Had she really been holed up in the library since class?

"Did you go down to dinner?" he asked.

Hermione shook her head. "No, I wasn't hungry," she answered.

Immediately after she finished talking, her stomach growled loudly. She blushed as Seamus raised his eyebrows.

"Fine," she said, still blushing. "I'm just too busy to eat anything, okay?"

"How can you be that busy?" Seamus asked her, feeling suspicious. "I mean, the professors don't assign enough work to make you so busy you can't even eat."

"When you take twelve classes and have so much homework that there literally aren't enough hours in a day to finish it all, tell me how much time you take off for silly things like eating," Hermione snapped, glaring at him.

Seamus gaped at her for a minute. She called eating _silly_? For supposedly being logical and rational, that seemed like a weird thing to say; everyone needs to eat. And she said she was taking twelve classes. Twelve! There's no possible way for that to fit into one schedule.

Seamus determined that all this could mean one thing: Hermione's gone loopy.

"Well, I'm just going to go," Seamus said, backing away slowly before she didn't anything else crazy. "Good luck on your work, Hermione. See you later!"

Seamus ducked out just as he heard Hermione burst into tears.

_Merlin, what is wrong with her?_

* * *

><p>A couple of weeks later, it became official: Hermione was off her rocker.<p>

Seamus watched as she stomped across the room and climbed down the ladder. As soon as the trapdoor shut again, the entire class burst into conversation. Dean leaned over to Seamus.

"Did _Hermione Granger_ just _leave_ a _class_?" Dean asked, sounding odd. "Did she just yell at a professor, get up, and leave? Or am I dreaming? You never know in this classroom. Puts me to sleep just walking up here."

Seamus just shook his head, not believing what had just happened. He glanced at Harry and Ron, both of whom looked just as surprised as Seamus felt. The rest of Divination went by quickly, as everyone just sat there in shock and Trelawney was in such a bad mood that she let them out early.

Dean and Seamus ran over to Ron and Harry as soon as class got out.

"What was that all about?" Dean asked as they walked to the common room.

Harry shrugged, grinning, and Ron chuckled a bit.

"That wasn't even the best part," Ron said, beaming. "Hermione _slapped_ Malfoy."

"What?" Seamus asked, shocked and impressed at the same time.

Ron nodded, looking proud. "Yep. She slapped him across the face. It was brilliant," he said.

"And then she didn't go to class today either," Harry told them.

The four boys walked in silence the rest of the way, thinking about the new, rebellious Hermione fondly.


	7. Molly: A Summer Visitor

Chapter 7

Molly Weasley had six sons and one daughter and it was hard to let a trick pass her. She'd seen it all: sneaking out late at night, smuggling Firewhiskey up into their rooms, all the pranks Fred and George played, the dangerous Quidditch moves. Besides a penchant for rule breaking, one thing each one of her boys had in common was the fact that they failed miserably at keeping their crushes a secret.

Molly knew about Bill's first crush before he had even mentioned the name of the girl off-handedly in an owl home. Charlie had turned practically purple whenever Bill brought up the girl Charlie fancied. Percy managed the longest to keep his girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater, a secret, but Molly had seen it coming anyway. Molly wasn't sure who Fred fancied, but she was positive George fancied Angelina Johnson from their Quidditch team.

Out of all her boys, Ron was both the most obvious and the most oblivious.

Molly watched as Ron jumped from his seat the second Errol arrived and ran over to the kitchen window.

"Who's that from, Ron?" she asked, already knowing what the answer would be.

"Hermione," Ron said, his ears turning red.

"That's nice," Molly said, trying not to smirk. "What does it say?"

"She just wants to know how I'm doing. And Ginny too," Ron added quickly, his ears turning even redder.

"That's lovely of her," Molly said, smiling at her youngest son. "Please tell her we say hello."

"Sure, Mum," Ron muttered before scurrying up to his room.

Molly smiled. Hermione Granger was a smart, kind, and pretty girl and someone she could definitely see Ron ending up with. Visions of small curly, red-headed children filled Molly's mind and she sighed blissfully. Sure, that would be many years from now but a mother can never be too prepared.

Just then, Molly heard the pop of Apparition and looked out the window to see Arthur with a wide grin on his face. She hurried out of the kitchen to greet him.

"Hello, my love!" Arthur exclaimed, leaning down to give his wife a peck on the lips. "I have wonderful news!"

"Really?" Molly asked, smiling up at him. "What is it?"

His smile widened even more. "I got enough tickets for all of us to see the World Cup! In the Top Box! We even have another extra ticket too, so one of the kids can invite a friend!"

Molly couldn't help but smile at his excitement. She had never really been a big Quidditch fan, but the look on Arthur's face when he was this excited never failed to make her heart flutter after all these years together.

"That is wonderful! You can tell the children at dinner," Molly told him as they walked into the kitchen together. "I'm sure they will be thrilled."

As they entered the Burrow again, they heard the sound of multiple heavy footsteps pounding on the stairs. In an instant, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny were standing before them.

"You got seats in the Top Box?"

"Are Bill and Charlie coming?"  
>"An extra ticket?"<br>"Do you have a tent yet?"

"Can Lee come?"

"When can we leave?"

Molly looked up at Arthur with a smile and shrugged. It was impossible to keep secrets in this house.

"One at a time please," Arthur said, grinning. "Yes, we're sitting in the Top Box and yes, Bill and Charlie are coming. I already arranged for a tent and there's an extra ticket."

"Only one?" Ron asked, frowning.

"We can talk about who gets it at dinner," Arthur said, sending stern looks to all four kids.

Fred, George, and Ginny began talking to each other all at once as they made their way back up the stairs and Arthur walked into the kitchen, but Ron remained standing there, looking down at the letter clutched in his hand. Concern filled Molly as she watched him frown and furrow his brow.

"What's the matter, darling?" Molly asked, causing Ron to look up and blush again. "You look worried."

Ron's blush darkened. "I'm not worried, Mum," he muttered, looking down at the ground.

"I'm you mother," Molly said sternly. "I know when you're worried. What's the matter?"

Ron let out a big sigh but didn't look up from the ground. "It's just that—I mean, Dad said there's only one extra ticket, right?"

Molly frowned, trying to follow. "Yes, dear."

"But…but I have _two_ best friends," Ron said, still frowning.

Molly's mouth opened to say something but she closed it again, unsure of what to say. She had just sort of assumed that Ron would want to bring Harry, as Harry was his best friend and loved Quidditch, but she hadn't expected Ron to consider that Hermione might want to go too. Part of her wanted to fuss over how sweet he was being but a larger part was worried about how it would all work out. There was only one extra after all…

Molly reached out and patted Ron's cheek gently. "We'll work something out, dear," she told him softly.

"Okay, Mum," Ron replied, smiling gratefully before going upstairs.

Molly watched him go, frowning thoughtfully. There was already one ticket, so they just needed one more for Hermione to go to. Hermione going would out work out fabulously. Molly was aware that Ginny thought of Hermione like an older sister, so Ginny wouldn't be hurt that she didn't get to choose a friend, and she knew Fred and George were fond of her as well.

"What's that look on your face for?" Arthur asked as Molly walked into the kitchen.

"I have an idea," Molly told him, smiling mischievously.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe I didn't get to go," Ginny complained for the hundredth time. "She's my best friend too."<p>

"I told you could go once you cleaned your room and you didn't," Molly said firmly. "They'll be back soon enough."

Ginny continued to pout as she stared at the fireplace. "I can't believe you gave up your ticket for Hermione," Ginny said. "I mean, I know you don't like Quidditch, but neither does Hermione."

"I am aware of that. But now you and Ron can both spend time with Hermione and I needed to get your things from Diagon Alley anyways," Molly explained. "It worked out splendidly."

Just then, the fireplace lit up and Ron stumbled out with Hermione's luggage. Ginny jumped out of her seat to stand next to the fireplace, anxiously awaiting the arrival of her best friend. Ron dragged the luggage into the living room, smiling.

"Hey, Mum," he said. "Where should I put these?"

"I'll get them, dear," Molly said, smiling at his eagerness and waving her wand to send the luggage upstairs. "You give Hermione a tour when she gets here."

"But I wanted to show her around!" Ginny whined, glaring at Ron, who looked at her smugly.

Molly sighed and barely refrained from rolling her eyes at their bickering. "You can both show her around," she said as the Floo lit up again.

Hermione walked out of the fireplace with a smile on her face. Ginny practically tackled her with a hug the second she appeared and Molly watched as Hermione hugged her back.

"I missed you so much," Hermione told Ginny.

"I missed you too," Ginny said. "I'm so glad you're here!"

Hermione pulled away from Ginny and smiled at Molly. "Hello, Mrs. Weasley," she said kindly. "Thank you so much for letting me stay here."

Molly gathered Hermione in a tight hug. "It is our pleasure, dear. All of us are so glad you're here."

"Come on, Hermione!" Ginny said. "I have to show you around."  
>"And me!" Ron added.<p>

Hermione pulled away from Molly, giving her another smile, before being pulled away by Ron and Ginny. She heard Fred and George yelling Hermione's name in greeting as they ran downstairs to hug her. Molly watched with a soft smile. Hermione was good for her family and Molly sincerely hoped that someday she would be able to call Hermione her daughter.


	8. Draco: Chaos at the World Cup

Chapter 8

Draco Malfoy hadn't been sure why his father forced him to go into the woods after the World Cup, but he did it anyway. He had seemed so serious that it scared Draco slightly, so he obeyed. It wasn't until he heard the screaming that he realized what was happening.

He sat in the woods, watching as his father and the other Death Eaters terrorized the unsuspecting crowd. A few years ago, the sight might have pleased him, but now it just made him slightly queasy.

All his life, his father drilled into his brain that Mudbloods were inferior. Purebloods were smarter, more talented, better looking, and overall the most superior of all people; _Malfoys_ were superior. Draco accepted the fact blindly; he didn't know any Mudbloods, or half-bloods for that matter, so he took his father at his word. But then he went to Hogwarts and he met _them_. Harry bloody Potter and Hermione bloody Granger.

Potter was a half-blood, but Draco knew he was powerful. He defeated You-Know-Who, for Merlin's sake. Draco tried to become his friend, eager to know someone who was that magically powerful. But Potter rejected him; it had hurt, but Draco wasn't about to let anyone know that. Draco assumed he would be better than Potter as they got older, as he was poor and just a half-blood, but he soon discovered he wasn't. Potter was better at Quidditch. It didn't matter that Draco had the best broom imaginable and had been flying for seven more years than Potter. His father wouldn't shut up about it, forcing Draco to practice during the summer.

And then there was Granger. At first, Draco hadn't realized she was a Mudblood. She was prettier than a lot of the pureblood girls he knew and smarter than anyone he had ever met in his entire life. When he found out she was a Mudblood, it felt like the world had fallen from under his feet. She was the top of _every_ single class. She was better at magic than all the purebloods in their year. And Draco hated her for it. Hated her for destroying everything he had ever believed in. She was supposed to be stupid and Draco was supposed to be better…but she wasn't and neither was he.

And he hated for being prettier than Pansy, who his parents were hoping he would marry, and he hated her for punching him in the face.

Draco had been shocked to see the Weasleys, Potter, and Granger in the Top Box in the row in front of his family. The Weasleys were dirt poor, so how they managed to get tickets was beyond him. He had been even more shocked that Granger was with them. Was she staying with them? For how long? Just for the Cup or for the whole summer? He hated himself for caring.

He saw people getting closer to where he was sitting and he stood up and leaned back against the tree he was previously sitting against, not wanting to get tripped over in the dark.

"Bloody hell!" yelled a familiar voice that made Draco's blood run cold.

_ Out of all people to run into, it would be those three_, Draco thought bitterly.

"What happened?" he heard Granger ask, sounding extremely frightened. "Ron, where are you?"

Draco scowled, hating himself for feeling jealous of Weasley because Granger was anxious about him. Why couldn't they just leave him alone so he could go back to the way things were before they completely messed up his life? And didn't they realize that if his father and his companions spotted Granger, that she would be next? How dim could they be?

"Oh this is stupid," Granger's voice said. "_Lumos!"_

Weasley was lying on the ground, dusting off his shirt and pants with a scowl on his stupid, freckled face. "Tripped over a tree root," he told his companions.

Draco took a deep breath, hating himself for wanting to get involved again.

"Well, with feet that size, hard not to," Draco drawled, plastering a confident smirk on his face.

All three of them turned to look at him at the exact same moment, shock written on all their faces. He watched as Weasley instinctively took a step closer to Granger while swearing at Draco and felt inexplicably jealous again. He pushed the feeling aside before he had time to dwell on it. He had to warn them to take her away before he thought better of it.

"Language, Weasley," Draco replied, doing some quick thinking on how best to tell them without acting like he cared. "Hadn't you better be hurrying along, now? You wouldn't like_ her_ spotted, would you?"

An explosion sounded from behind them and green light illuminated the three Gryffindors in front of him for a moment before going dark again.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Granger asked him, glaring.

"Granger, they're after _Muggles_," Draco said, wishing they would just understand and be on their way. "Do you want to be showing off your knickers in midair? Because if you do, hang around…they're moving this way, and it would give us all a laugh."

"Hermione's a witch," Potter spat at him.

"Have it your own way, Potter," Draco replied, smiling cruelly at him. "If you think they can't spot a Mudblood, stay where you are."

Weasley took a step towards him, glaring threateningly at him. "You watch your mouth!" Weasley yelled, sneering.

"Never mind, Ron," Granger said, grabbing onto Weasley's elbow to stop him from getting any closer.

There was another explosion several people screamed. Weasley took a step backwards and Draco watched with a sinking feeling in his stomach as Granger's grip on his elbow tightened, instead of letting go. Draco faked a laugh.

"Scare easily, don't they?" he drawled. "I suppose your daddy told you all to hide? What's he up to—trying to rescue the Muggles?"

"Where're _your_ parents?" Potter asked angrily. "Out there wearing masks, are they?"

"Well if they were, I wouldn't be likely to tell you, would I, Potter?" Draco said snidely.

He heard Granger scoff as she glared at him. "Oh, come on," she said, pulling on Weasley's arm. "Let's go and find the others."

Draco let out a sigh of relief. They were finally leaving.

"Keep that big bushy head down, Granger," he called out to her retreating back.

"Come on," she snarled again, practically dragging Potter and Weasley away from him.

Weasley turned to give him one last sneer and the finer before scurrying off with his friends. Draco sagged with relief against the tree as he watched them go, but stiffened as he realized what he was doing. Was he really _this_ relieved that Granger wasn't going to get hurt? Self-hatred bubbled up within himself again and he slid down the tree until he was sitting on the ground again.

He didn't fancy Granger. He didn't because he _couldn't_. He'd be dead if he did. The Gryffindors would kill him and his fellow Slytherins would kill him. His own_ father_ would kill him if he did. He couldn't.

_But you do_, said a nasty little voice in the back of his brain.

_Shut it_, he replied to the voice.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So I hope you liked it...I love Dramione stories, but usually those stories are super out of character. However, I don't think it's too far fetched to think that Draco Malfoy could have a crush on Hermione. I mean, in the books she's supposed to be pretty and smart and this scene always made me wonder if he liked her. I mean, why else would he ever warn her, right? And at the Yule Ball he was apparently speechless because she looked so beautiful. Whatever, I'm just rambling. Please review; I love hearing from all of you!<strong>


	9. Viktor: Library Encounters

Chapter 9

All his life, people had assumed that Viktor Krum wasn't particularly bright. He had a natural talent for Quidditch and then trained for many years to be as skilled as he was today. However, there was much more to him than Quidditch.

Viktor was good at magic and possibly the brightest student at Durmstrang, which is why the Goblet of Fire had chosen him. He studied every single second he could get (when he wasn't training for Quidditch, eating, or sleeping). Many people who met him expected him to party and go out all the time like most famous Quidditch players, but he was different. He'd rather sit somewhere quiet and read everything he could get his hands on.

Which is why the Hogwarts library was so frustrating.

Besides for attending the mandatory public events that his managers forced him to go to, Viktor enjoyed staying out of the eyes of the public. At Durmstrang, everyone had sort of become accustomed to seeing a celebrity around all the time, but Hogwarts was a different story. He'd barely had a moment to himself since arriving. At first the library had become his safe haven, but a group of giggling girls had somehow managed to find him.

He sighed, slouching in his chair. He had bigger things to worry about than his silly fans, like the tournament and the fact that he had absolutely no idea what the first task would entail.

Viktor glanced over at Potter, who was sitting with the pretty brunette girl who was in the library even more than Viktor was. People had been saying that she was his girlfriend, but they didn't seem like anything more than friends to Viktor. Sure, he saw them together a lot, but he had never once seen them hug or kiss or hold hands or even touch each other.

Potter looked bored as he watched the pretty brunette sift through a giant pile of books and said something to her before getting up and leaving the library. She smiled and waved before turning back to the giant book she was reading.

She was really very attractive, he supposed. She looked to be a little younger than him and seemed a little on the short side. Her eyes were brown and her dark hair looked soft and he found her curls charming. She had a kind smile and overall a very pretty face. Also, she was obviously smart, as she seemed to be constantly studying.

Viktor smiled to himself as he observed her for a moment. Suddenly, she looked around and Viktor looked down at his paper, feeling his face flame. He'd never really been any good at the whole girl thing; he was almost cripplingly shy around most people, but especially girls he thought were pretty. But maybe he'd come back tomorrow and see if she was there…

* * *

><p>Over the next few weeks, Viktor learned a lot of things about the pretty girl in the library, the first of which being that she came to the library practically every day. Viktor was pleased with this, since it meant he got to see her more often.<p>

He also found a copy of the British newspaper and figured out that her name was Hermione Granger. _Hermione_. Her name was beautiful and Viktor thought it fit her nicely, but he quickly found out he couldn't pronounce it. How was he supposed to talk to a girl whose name he couldn't even pronounce?

He pushed the thought aside as she came in and threw her bag onto the table, not even looking over at him as she left once again, most likely to collect the books she needed.

He wished he were brave enough to go up and talk to her. He could battle dragons and win the Quidditch World Cup and here he found himself too scared to talk to a girl he liked.

She came back carrying a few large, old books and throwing a disgusted look at the girls Viktor knew were a few rows away from him. Viktor smiled slightly. She thought they were annoying too. They had another thing in common.

That was it. He had to talk to her. Just as he mustered up all his courage and was about to get up and walk over to her, a redheaded boy walked up to the table and sat down.

Defeated, Viktor slumped back in his chair.

* * *

><p>Viktor sat in his favorite chair in the library, feeling anxious and jittery. He thought back to the conversation with Karkaroff he had early that day and a new wave of anxiety washed over him.<p>

_Karkaroff had called Viktor into his office on the ship they were staying on. Viktor sat down on the chair across from Karkaroff, wondering what they were about to talk about._

_ "There is a tradition that accompanies the Triwizard Tournament," Karkaroff said, looking grim. "It's called the Yule Ball. All three, or in this case four, champions need partners because they will open the ball with a dance."_

_ Viktor's eyebrows shot up as he felt his stomach drop. He wasn't as particularly graceful on the ground as he was in the air and his dancing skills were abysmal. And he'd need a _date_? He couldn't even speak to a pretty girl it the library!_

_ "Okay," Viktor replied, nodding once._

_ "And your partner better be…suitable," Karkaroff added._

_ Viktor frowned. "Vhat do you mean by 'suitable'?"_

_ Karkaroff shook his head suddenly. "Forget I said anything. Just ask whoever you want."_

Viktor still wasn't sure by what he had meant by suitable, but he didn't want to dwell on it too much. He knew that he wanted to ask Hermione more than any other girl. But he hadn't even spoken to her yet.

She walked in and Viktor was suddenly very aware that his fan club wasn't around. It was the perfect time to talk to her. He took a deep breath, gathering all the courage he possessed, and stood up, grabbed his things, and headed towards her.

She looked up at him as he approached her. Surprise was written all over her face and Viktor felt his hands start to shake due to nerves. Viktor took a deep breath.

"Hello," he said quietly. "Vould you mind if I join you?"

Hermione bit her lip, looking slightly alarmed, before giving him a beautiful smile. "Not at all," she answered, clearing a spot at the table for him.

Viktor smiled shyly at her before sitting down across from her at the table. She looked at him expectantly and Viktor realized that he should probably say something to her, but couldn't think of one decent thing to say.

"I'm Hermione Granger," she said after Viktor remained silent for a while.

"My name is Viktor," he said, feeling even more nervous.

Her eyes fell on his books and she grinned widely at him. "Are you reading _Hogwarts, A History_?" she asked him, her eyes lighting up.

"Yes. I haff found it very interesting," he said. "I haff not finished with it yet."

"It's one of my favorite books. I've read it multiple times. My favorite part is the chapter about the construction of Hogwarts. I find it so fascinating."

Viktor could hardly believe what was happening. That was his favorite part too. Hermione Granger seemed too good to be a true: a pretty, smart girl who had the same taste in books as him.

"Vould you like to accompany myself to the Yule Ball?"

The words spilled out of his mouth before he could even think about saying them. Both of their eyes grew very wide.

"Really?" she asked in a small voice.

Viktor couldn't even summon the nerve to speak and instead nodded mutely, feeling close to vomiting. Slowly, her frown morphed into a soft smile.

"Okay."

With that one word, Viktor felt his nervousness vanish and he grinned goofily. Hermione blushed prettily at his evident excitement. This tournament had given Viktor nothing but feelings of dread and anxiety but for the first time, Viktor felt that maybe being picked wasn't entirely a terrible thing.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the lack of updates recently. I had finals and then I was on vacation without internet access for a couple weeks. I really wasn't feeling this chapter and I apologize for the lack of RonHermione interaction, but I swear to you there'll be more in the future. Thanks for reading.**


	10. Ginny: Number 12 Grimmauld Place

Chapter 10

Ginny Weasley was slowly going insane. She was happiest when she was busy and doing things; sometimes she'd take long walks around the castle and the grounds of Hogwarts just because she hated to be still for long periods of time. Staying in Grimmauld Place made her feel claustrophobic.

At first, it was kind of fun. The whole Order would come and go and stay the night and Ginny got to see all sorts of people. The house was a little terrifying, but at least it was being cleaned up. After a few weeks, it got old fast.

Tensions were high and everyone was feeling it. Fred and George were driving her mad; being cooped up for this long was having a negative effect on them too. They would not stop Apparating from room to room and pulling stupid pranks just to let out some energy. The fight with Percy had taken a serious toll on Mum and Dad. Dad, who had always been cheerful even when stressed out, was on edge and rather grim and Mum seemed about to have a meltdown at any moment. Having Sirius around wasn't helping either. When Professor Lupin or Tonks was around, Sirius was bearable, but if they weren't there, he was about as irritable and whiny as Ron.

Ron had to be the worst of them all. He sulked around the house, ready to blow up at any possible moment. He whined about the house, about not being able to go outside, about not being able to join Order meetings. He snapped at Mum, yelled at Fred and George, and swore at Ginny.

Ginny walked down from her room to the kitchen, dreading what she might find when she got there. Nearly every time she went for a meal, somebody was in an awful mood. Yesterday, Mum had cried and cried all through lunch and the day before that Fred and George had practically blown up the kitchen. Ron's turn to be irritating would be next, she supposed.

She saw Ron heading up the stairs and braced herself for his wrath.

"Morning, Ginny!" Ron said happily, smiling widely.

Ginny stopped and stared at Ron. Did Fred and George spike his drink with something? Ron hadn't smiled like that or said something polite nearly all summer. Something had to be up.

"Good morning, Ron," Ginny said cautiously, not wanting to set him off.

He continued smiling as he passed her on the stairs. Ginny scurried into the kitchen, feeling thoroughly shocked. She entered the kitchen to find Mum, Fred, George, Sirius, and Tonks oddly giggly.

"Okay, what's up with Ron?" Ginny asked, plopping down at the table. "Since when is he all jolly?"

"Since he found out a certain little know-it-all is arriving tomorrow morning," Fred said, grinning mischievously.

"Cheered him right up," George added, an identical look on his face.

Ginny couldn't help but smirk. Ron's crush on Hermione had been obvious for _ages_ but he was thoroughly denying it, although how he could deny it after his reaction at the Yule Ball was beyond Ginny. When Ginny had gone to ask him about it, he ranted about Krum and Hermione for at least a half hour before he calmed down. She was also pretty sure that Hermione fancied Ron back, but couldn't say for sure that she did. That didn't matter though; Ginny just knew they were meant to be.

Plus, Hermione was her best friend, and it'd be nice to have someone besides her family and Order members to talk to for once.

"I'm glad she's coming," Ginny said, helping herself to some breakfast. "This place gets right dreary sometimes. No offense, Sirius."

"None taken," Sirius replied easily, leaning back in his chair. "Why do you think I booked it out of here as soon as I could? It was even worse when dear old Mum was actually alive. You'd think there were a couple dementors leaving in here with us."

Fred, George, Tonks, and Ginny laughed and even Mum, who usually disapproved of Sirius' comments, let out a small chuckle. Ginny kept grinning as the conversation turned to lighter topics than usual. This had to be the first day in a week that everybody had been laughing so much; Ginny hoped that when Hermione actually arrived, things would get even better.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry this chapter is so short...I've agonized for <em>weeks<em> about this one; writer's block got me good. I hope you enjoyed it anyway. Keep reviewing! I love hearing from you guys!**


	11. Poppy Pomfrey: After the Battle

Chapter 11

Poppy Pomfrey had been asleep in her chambers when Minerva came bursting in. She jerked awake, not expecting the intrusion.

"Poppy," Minerva cried, her hair askew and looking more frazzled than she had ever seen. "Come quickly! A few students are badly injured!"

Poppy jumped onto her feet in an instant and followed Minerva quickly into the Hospital Wing. She was startled to find Neville Longbottom, Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger all in hospital beds. What startled her even more was finding Nymphadora Tonks and Alastor Moody standing near them. Poppy did a quick assessment of the children. Neville Longbottom looked as if he had been beaten up badly and his nose was broken, but he was sitting up and looking worriedly from Ron to Hermione. Luna Lovegood was also on a bed, looking sadly into space. Ginny Weasley also had a few scrapes and bruises, but was sobbing quietly on her bed. Both Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were unconscious.

"What happened?" Poppy asked, running over to Ron's bedside.

"There was a battle in the Department of Ministries," Alastor answered gruffly.

"A battle?" Poppy repeated blankly. "With who?"

"The Death Eaters and You-Know-Who," Minerva answered, looking stricken. "I'll fill you in on more details later. The first priority was is healing these kids."

"Of course, of course," Poppy said. "Who should I tend to first?"

"Hermione," Ginny and Neville said at the same time.

Poppy immediately ran over to Hermione bed and started examining her. "What happened?" she asked. "There aren't any marks on her."

"I-I d-do-don't know," Ginny said through her tears as Tonks handed her a tissue. "I wasn't there!"

"It was Dolohov," Neville said quietly, staring steadily at Hermione. "He got her at the beginning. She Silenced him but he did this slashing movement with his wand. The curse was purple. I don't know what it did but it hit her in the chest and she fell to the ground. I carried her away from the battle but she never woke up."

Poppy took a deep breath and started running diagnostic spells. She'd never heard of a curse like that so she assumed it must've been some sort of Dark Magic. After running a few spells, she noticed something and felt her blood run cold.

"What is it, Poppy?" Minerva asked worriedly.

"She's bleeding internally," Poppy replied, summoning five different potions at the same time. "Almost all her organs have been slashed, save her heart. She's lucky she's still alive."

Immediately, Poppy regretted saying it aloud. She could hear Ginny give a strangled sob and start to cry even harder. Both Neville and Alastor made a strangled growl sound while Tonks and Minerva gasped quietly. Instead of addressing their concerns, Poppy continued to work. Hermione's complexion was ghostly pale and her breathing was shallow, but her heart rate was good, which gave Popy hope. After about twenty minutest of continuous spellwork and potions, she felt confident enough Hermione would make it.

"Hermione will live," Poppy declared. "She'll be in here for a while though. Now, what happened to Mr. Weasley?"

"He got hit by some spell that made him go loopy," Ginny answered, sniffling. "And then he summoned these brains out of a tank and they started attacking him. I don't remember when he passed out but I don't think he got attacked anymore. Maybe it was when he hit his head."

Poppy let out a big sigh of relief. He was only hit with a Confundus Charm and then must've passed out because of hitting his head. His arms were a different story though. Even after applying copious amounts of Dittany to them, the wounds weren't healing completely. He'd probably have open wounds all up and down his arms for a good five days. She gave him a pain potion before waking him up.

Ron let out a small groan as his eyes flickered open. Almost as soon as his eyes opened, he shot up into a sitting position, looking around frantically and reaching for his wand.

"Ron!" Ginny cried. "It's okay! We're in the Hospital Wing! It's over! We're all here!"

"Where's Hermione? And Harry?" he asked, relaxing slightly.

"Harry is with Dumbledore. Hermione is in the bed next to you, Ron," Luna said in a calming voice. "She was hurt very badly but she's going to be fine."

Ron whipped around wildly to look at Hermione. Poppy felt her heart clench as she watched Ron's face; he looked both sorrowful and furious at the same time. He reached over to Hermione's bed to grab her hand softly.

"What happened?" he asked, frowning.

"You got hit with a Confundus Charm," Ginny explained as Poppy walked over to her. "And then you acted really loopy and you summoned these—these _brains_. Merlin, it was just awful."

"They sort of attacked you," Neville finished for Ginny. "And then you hit your head and passed out."

Ron stayed silent, probably trying to process the information. Poppy moved on to fix Ginny's ankle and gave her some bruise salve. Ginny smiled gratefully at her.

"What happened to Hermione?" Ron asked quietly.

Poppy sighed, figuring it was probably best for her to answer. She turned to Ron to find him gazing at Hermione, still holding her hand, and Poppy's heart clenched.

"She was hit with a curse," Poppy started, not wanting to scare Ron too much. "She had Silenced her attacker, so the affect of the curse wasn't as bad as it should have been. Essentially, the curse caused massive internal bleeding and organ damage. However, Miss Granger is going to be fine; she'll just need to stay in bed and take some potions for a while."

Ron's jaw clenched as various emotions flitted across his face. Poppy's heart went out to the boy. It was obvious he was smitten with Miss Granger and hearing that she nearly died probably wasn't easy for him.

"So she'll be okay?" Ron said, sighing deeply.

Poppy nodded and Ron's shoulders sagged in relief, his eyes closing tightly.

"Ron, there's something else you should know," Tonks said hesitantly.

"What?" Ron asked sharply. "Is Harry okay?"

"Harry's fine," Tonks said, her eyes starting to get a little misty. "Ron, it's Sirius. H-he…"

Before Tonks could continue, she broke down into tears and fled from the Hospital Wing. Ginny Weasley also started to cry again, grabbing a tissue from her bedside table. Even Minerva dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. Ron looked stricken.

"No, he-he can't be d-dead," Ron stammered, looking around to each person. "Does Harry know?"

"Yes," Luna answered calmly as Poppy started to attend to a nasty looking split lip. "He was very upset about it. It was very said."

Ron sighed and leaned back against his pillows. Poppy fixed up Luna and Neville before checking on Hermione again. Her color was starting to return and she was breathing easier. Poppy heard Alastor excuse himself and Minerva did the same. The four children remained silent for a long time, just sitting there staring at each other, as if reassuring themselves that they had all made it. The sight made Poppy feel sick. Their innocence had been stolen from them by the ugliness of war. Why should these children be put in such a position? A battle was no place for a Hogwarts student.

Poppy snuck off into her office and cried.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hello wonderful readers! So originally I had a couple other chapters during OoTP, but none of them turned out as good as they sounded in my head; I've been struggling from <em>serious<em> writer's block and suffering from too much school. I hope you enjoyed it! I'd love to hear comments from you all!**


	12. Hannah Abbott Eavesdropping in Herbolog

Chapter 12

Hannah Abbott loved to watch people. Not in a creepy way or anything; she just enjoyed seeing how other people's lives played out and how they interacted with each other. People really were fascinating to watch. Which is why Hannah usually positioned herself to sit near Harry, Ron, and Hermione during the classes they shared together. Honestly, there were few people in Hogwarts that Hannah found more interesting than these three. It was impossible to go to Hogwarts and not be aware of them, but Hannah had only really started watching them last year during the DA meetings.

Hannah smiled at Hermione as the three of them walked into the greenhouse for Herbology and sat down across from Hannah. Hermione smiled back before turning to say something quietly to Harry and Ron.

"Here's some gloves, Hannah," Ernie Macmillan said.

"Thanks," she said, checking out the plant in front of them with a hesitant look. "Ernie, what is that? What are we doing to it?"

"Weren't you paying attention?" Justin Finch-Fletchley hissed at her. "We have to get the pod from out of there."

"How?" Hannah asked, looking skeptically at what looked like to be a solid stump.

_Bang!_

The three of them jumped and whipped around to see Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, and Seamus Finnigan battling vines that had sprung from the log as Professor Sprout cheered them on. She watched as Neville took a few blows to the face before pulling out a green pod thing out of it. Hannah let out a sigh; she had been hoping that this would be an easy class. Neville looked over and smiled at Hannah, causing her to emit a little squeak and look down at the stump again.

"What?" asked Justin, who had evidently heard her squeak.

"Nothing," Hannah lied, flushing darkly. She had had a crush on Neville for a while now, but she'd be damned if she let Justin and Ernie found out; they'd tease her mercilessly. "Let's get going, shall we?"

Five minutes and a couple injuries later, Hannah withdrew the pod from the stump, panting heavily. She took a step back from the pod, letting Ernie and Justin figure out how to smash the shell open, which conveniently left Hannah free to observe her class.

In her studying, she noticed Terry Boot obviously checking out Hannah's friend, Susan Bones; Hannah made a note to tell Susan later. She noticed Padma Patil flirting heavily with Anthony Goldstein, who looked like he didn't mind at all.

"Anyway, Slughorn's going to have a Christmas party, Harry, and there's no way you'll be able to wriggle out of this one because he actually asked me to check your free evening, so he could be sure to have it on a night you could come."

Hannah turned her attention back to the three Gryffindors. Harry groaned and rolled his eyes as Ron tried to smash the pod furiously on the table. He really did look very angry, but Hannah wasn't exactly sure why.

"And this is another party just for Slughorn's favorites, is it?" Ron asked, pounding the green shell once more on the table.

"Just for the Slug Club, yes," Hermione replied, oblivious to the fact that Ron's face was steadily turning redder.

Ron squeezed the pod too hard, causing it to shoot off to the other side of the room and Hannah saw a couple people duck to dodge its path. Harry hurried off to get it, sensing that Ron seemed ready to blow at any moment.

"The _Slug__Club_?" Ron asked slowly, looking disgusted. "What kind of name is _that_?"

Hannah watched avidly. Of course! Ron was jealous that he wasn't invited to these events. Hannah hoped Hermione didn't say anything that would set Ron off; she had seen him angry before and it really wasn't pretty.

"Hannah, can you give us a hand?"

She jumped at Ernie's voice and gave him a scolding look.

"Sush, Ernie," Hannah said sternly. "I practically got that thing out single-handedly while you two talked about Quidditch. The least you could do is open that thing up."

Ernie fell silent, his ears turning red, but Hannah didn't feel guilty; he had really been a prat lately (well, more of a prat than usual). Plus, she wanted to see how this conversation turned out.

"Well, I hope you enjoy your party," Ron was saying snidely, glaring at Hermione. "Why don't you try hooking up with McLaggen, then Slughorn can make you King and Queen Slug—"

Hannah's eyes went wide. McLaggen? That fit Gryffindor seventh year? Why did that even matter? And Ron fancied Hermione; _everyone_ knew it. Why would he tell her to go out with someone else?

"We're allowed to bring guests," Hermione continued, trying to look collected but flushing brilliantly. "And I was _going_ to ask you, but if you think it's that stupid then I won't bother!"

Hannah gasped. This was easily the most entertaining thing she'd ever seen! _Hermione__just__said__she__would__ask__Ron__out!_ Hannah couldn't wait to tell Susan. This was big news.

Hermione looked away, clearly trying to look like she wasn't affected by what was happening but failing miserably. Ron was gaping at her in shock, his jaw dropping over. Harry looked from Ron to Hermione, looking embarrassed, shocked, and afraid all in one. Suddenly, he grabbed the pod from Ron and started throwing it onto the table wildly, making a few people in the class look over curiously. Hannah nearly laughed out loud; that boy wanted to get out of there _fast_.

"You were going to ask me?" Ron asked, sounding surprised and completely unaware of Harry's antics.

"Yes," Hermione answered as Harry grabbed a shovel. "But obviously if you'd rather I _hooked__up__with__McLaggen_..."

Hermione trailed off looking hurt. Ron sat there with his mouth open, staring at Hermione. Harry's eyes were wide with panic as he started beating the pod with the shovel; Hannah could tell he was hoping that Hermione and Ron would notice he was there, but it really didn't seem to be working. Ron's mouth closed and opened and closed again, trying to work up the nerve to say something again.

"No, I wouldn't," Ron said softly, staring at Hermione earnestly.

She looked back timidly, biting her lip. Hannah held her breath. Would they _finally_ get together?

_Smash!_

Ron, Hermione, and Hannah all jumped at the noise. Harry stood there sheepishly, looking at the smashed bowl in front of him. As much as Hannah liked Harry Potter, she cursed him in that moment. Couldn't he have just let them have their moment?

"Hannah, we're done."

Justin's voice brought Hannah's voice back to the table. She blushed a little under his curious stare.

"What were you staring at?" he asked, frowning. "You didn't even notice when the pod nearly hit you in the face!"

"I was just uh…daydreaming," Hannah answered quickly, trying to come up with a plausible lie.

Ernie and Terry looked suspicious, but didn't press the subject, which Hannah was thankful for. Hannah sighed wistfully. Ron and Hermione would make the loveliest couple. He was so tall and funny and she was petite and clever. Hannah hoped they'd get together soon so she could watch them be adorable together.

They left Herbology a short while later and Hannah ran to catch up with Susan.

"Susan! I have the greatest story to tell you!"

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><p><strong>AN: Greeting my beautiful readers! Thank you for all the comments! I'd like to apologize for the previous chapter; it really didn't meet my expectations but it needed to happen to help the story along. I hope you really enjoy this chapter, because I wanted to do this scene justice. It's one of my favorites in HBP and I find it just so sweet! I also hope you liked Hannah's character because (hint, hint) we'll be hearing more from her later.<strong>

**I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up. It could either be in like two weeks (after my hell week of schoolwork is over) or relatively soon if I decide to procrastinate on my essays. Until we meet again, have a wonderful life!**


	13. Parvati: Guilt

Chapter 13

Parvati Patil was the worst person who ever lived, she was sure of it. Because who else would stand idly by as one of the kindest people you've ever met got her heart trampled on by your best friend?

"Ron's just _so_ sweet," Lavender gushed, glancing over at the curtains drawn around Hermione's bed. "He's the best boyfriend ever. I'm so lucky he only has eyes for me."

Parvati wanted to scream at Lavender, cry, and apologize to Hermione profusely all at the same time. She knew Lavender was just saying these things to hurt Hermione on purpose; Lavender could be cruel when she wanted to be. Lavender had been dropping hints and saying things like this since the day she and Ron got together and it was clear that it hurt Hermione deeply. Hermione had yet to retaliate at all, even though it had been a little over two weeks, and Parvati admired her for it.

But Parvati was crippled. Yes, what Lavender was doing was wrong, but they had been best friends from the second they met each other on their first day of Hogwarts. She couldn't tell Lavender off but she couldn't stand watching her act this way either.

"Did you see how he saved a seat for me in Charms?" Lavender sighed dreamily as she brushed her hair. "He's _so_ thoughtful."

Parvati nearly snorted. Ron hadn't been saving her a seat at all; he sat down and Lavender swooped down next to him, fawning over him. He had actually looked rather annoyed.

Parvati faked an exaggerated yawn, eager to get out of the situation. "I'm exhausted," she lied, stretching her arms above her head. "I think I'm going to go to bed."

Lavender pouted. "Fine. Goodnight, Parv."

Parvati gave her a weak smile before drawing the curtains around her bed. She got under the covers and stared up at the ceiling, sighing sadly.

Hermione didn't deserve to be treated like this. She was kind and both Lavender and Ron were treating her like garbage. Parvati wasn't an idiot; she knew Ron was in love with Hermione and had been since their fourth year. At first, she thought maybe he was over Hermione, but it didn't take long to realize that he obviously still had feelings for her. Ron barely ever spoke to Lavender and only snogged her when he knew Hermione was around. Parvati wasn't sure if Lavender noticed, but it was blatantly obvious to her that Ron was only with Lavender to make Hermione jealous. It was infuriating; what kind of idiot would think this was a good idea?

Poor Hermione. Not only was the guy she fancied snogging a girl who hated her, but she had been left with nearly no friends. The only people who were hanging out with her lately were Harry and Neville. Ginny did her best to cheer Hermione up, but she and Dean had been joined at the hip lately. And obviously Ron hadn't spoken to Hermione in ages either.

Parvati sighed again, feeling thoroughly depressed. Guilt was eating away at her gut and Parvati willed herself to go to sleep, hoping it would make the guilt go away.

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><p>The next day, Parvati felt absolutely <em>horrid<em>. Worse than the previous day, if that was even possible.

In Transfiguration that day, Parvati had been sitting with Ron and Lavender, right behind Harry and Hermione. Lavender kept making snide remarks about Hermione, while Ron stared steadily at the back of Hermione's head. At one point, Ron accidentally gave himself a huge mustache and everybody laughed, including Hermione; Ron retaliated by making fun of Hermione raising her hand.

Parvati sat at the Great Hall, feeling incredibly guilty. She shouldn't have laughed at Hermione. It was just so _accurate_ that she couldn't help but giggle slightly. Now, after seeing Hermione flee the classroom in tears, she was feeling terrible and now she was being forced to witness Ron and Lavender snog over lunch, which only made her feel worse. Harry was sitting next to Parvati, staring at the couple in disgust. At least he hated watching them as well.

"Hi, Harry," she said, trying to diffuse the awkward tension at the table.

"Hi," he replied, looking grateful for a reason to look away from Ron and Lavender. "How're you? You're staying at Hogwarts, then? I heard your parents wanted you to leave."

Parvati felt a surge of annoyance. Her parents were overly cautious when it came to her and Padma's safety, so at the first news of Katie Bell being cursed they had insisted the girls leave Hogwarts immediately. Parvati, of course, had fought them on it.

"I managed to talk them out of it for the time being," she replied. "That Katie thing really freaked them out, but as there hasn't been anything since…"

Parvati's voice trailed off. She spotted Hermione walking towards them purposefully and the guilt came back. How could she make sure Hermione wasn't cross with her? Parvati decided the best way to go about it was to be as nice as possible; maybe Hermione would forget about it.

"Oh, hi, Hermione!" she said as happily as possible.

To her surprise and relief, Hermione smiled back. "Hi, Parvati! Are you going to Slughorn's party tonight?"

"No invite," Parvati replied. "I'd love to go, though, it sounds like it's going to be really good…you're going, aren't you?"

"Yes," Hermione answered, smiling sweetly. "I'm meeting Cormac at eight and we're going up to the party together."

Parvati noticed Ron and Lavender had suddenly stopped snogging but didn't make a remark; she was too shocked. Cormac McLaggen? The bloke was really good-looking but a bit of a tosser and not Hermione's type at all.

"Cormac?" Parvati asked. "Cormac McLaggen, you mean?"

"That's right," Hermione said, smiling radiantly. "The one who almost became Gryffindor Keeper."

Parvati raised her eyebrows but silently impressed by Hermione. "Are you going out with him, then?" she asked, hungry to hear more.

"Oh, yes, didn't you know?" Hermione replied with a giggle.

"No!" Parvati answered. Parvati had always loved a good piece of gossip and this was golden. "Wow, you like your Quidditch player's don't you? First Krum, then McLaggen…"

"I like really good Quidditch players," Hermione interrupted. "Well, see you…got to go and get ready for the party."

With that, Hermione flounced away. Parvati watched her walk away in shock. Even though Hermione was absolutely brilliant, Parvati and Lavender had always assumed that she was clueless in the relationship department. But apparently they had been wrong because Hermione's scheme to make Ron jealous was absolutely brilliant.

"_Cormac McLaggen_?" Lavender hissed, leaning over to Parvati. "She's going out with _Cormac McLaggen_?"

"Apparently," Parvati replied, looking down the table at the bloke in question. "Good on her. He's quite fit."

Lavender scowled as she also appraised McLaggen. "I didn't even know that they had been talking. And wasn't he going with Melinda from Hufflepuff?"

"No, they broke up ages ago. And didn't she go to the last Hogsmeade trip with Eddie Charmichael?"

"Um, we have to go," Ron said from beside Lavender, already jumping out of his seat. "See you later!"

Parvati said goodbye weakly as Harry and Ron bolted out of the Great Hall. It felt nice to talk to Lavender again without being cross at her. Maybe as long as they continued to harmlessly gossip, things could go back to normal. But deep down, Parvati knew things would never feel right until Lavender and Ron were broken up.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry it's been so long guys! I had so much trouble with this chapter. At first, I tried to write it from Lavender's point of view but I couldn't do it without making her seem like a complete evil bitch because I can't stand her at all. Then, I tried it from Ginny's, Seamus', and even Cormac's POVs and all of them were just not right. I hope you guys like it! I will definitely try to update more often! Please review!<strong>


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